I'm N o t Sorry
by xstardrop
Summary: Alya vows to bring Marinette back, no matter what it takes, and how far she must go.
1. Chapter 1

Ladybug stepped back warily, yo-yo gripped tightly in her hand, staring at the enemy in front of her, who happened to be someone she called her best friend not forty-five minutes ago.

The spotted superhero swallowed, "A-Alya. Listen to me – "

"I'm not Alya!" the figure in front of her screeched, "It's Wordslasher. Get it _right._ "

The redhead sneered in Marinette's direction, and a wave of terror and guilt washed through her. Stepping closer, Wordslasher retrieved the sword hanging off the side of her belt.

Alya and Marinette had started dating a couple of months back, and they had gotten into their first big fight recently, just less than an hour ago. When the shy designer had realized her long term crush, Adrien, would never return her feelings, she cried to Alya, a constant support and light in her life. Marinette didn't know what she would do without her.

So the heartbroken girl found herself sitting on her best friend's couch at 8 o'clock in the evening, sobbing relentlessly into Alya's pyjamas.

"There, there, Marinette. You'll move on, and I'll always be here for you."

Marinette sniffled, "Thanks Alya, I know I can always count on you."

Alya smiled at her dark haired friend, eyes red and puffy, and stroked her head, pulling her into a hug.

"It's alright, girl. And hey, if anything, you can always date _me_ ," Alya joked, wiggling her eyebrows. "I'm probably just as capable as Adrien, if not more, and you _know_ I'll treat you well."

The reporter laughed to herself, but paused when she realized Marinette had grown silent. Alya glanced down at her best friend, whose lips were pursed in thought, and blinking slowly.

"What?" the chocolate skinned girl poked Marinette's cheek, and the designer jumped up, as if electrocuted, and stood away from Alya, shaking her head.

"What's up?" Alya asked nervously, a little worried about the reaction of her best friend.

Marinette breathed shakily, and met Alya's eyes.

"It's nothing!" she perked, which spiked the redhead's concern even more. "Everything's fine, it's all good, thanks so much for being here for me! Oh, look at the time, I should probably go, I love you – whoops!"

Marinette had crashed into the bedframe, but it didn't even seem to faze her.

"Haha, sorry about that! I'll see you at school, or not, maybe, haha. I'll be there, bye!"

"Wait, Marinette – "

But the girl was gone, dark hair disappearing from the doorframe.

 _What in the world?_ Alya wondered.

xxx

Marinette actively avoided Alya the next day at school, and she could not for the _life of her_ figure out why. Did she say something weird last night? All she knew was that every time she appeared in Marinette's line of sight, the petite girl would give a little start, similar to what she did in the bedroom, and glance away, or walk off in another direction.

Alya's curiosity was probing, sparking from inside her, but she thought Marinette would tell her if she was ready. She wasn't avoiding her for no reason, maybe she needed some space to get over Adrien? Alya shook it out of her head. _She'll tell me sooner or later._

By the end of school, the following week, however, Alya's hands were twitching with anticipation. The two haven't spoken properly in almost _two weeks._ That's _got_ to be some kind of record. The two girls were inseparable since a young age, so Alya could not find a _single_ explanation for why Marinette would sit so far away from her in class, pushing herself towards the edge of the desk, glancing in her direction every once in a while, and blushing when she got caught. Nino and Adrien also found this behaviour odd, but did not question it; Marinette was always a little strange.

When the bell rang, signalling the end of the final class, Alya couldn't take it anymore.

"Marinette," she said, and watched in confusion when the girl flinched.

"Y-yes, Alya?"

Alya stared at the designer, quivering and smiling nervously, hands fidgeting in front of her.

"We need to talk," she told her, and Marinette's eyes widened, flying in all directions except towards her.

"Uh, well, today is, erm, probably not the best time, I have, homework, and – "

"Marinette," Alya cut her off, "We had no homework, remember?"

The raven haired girl stammered out, "Haha, yeah, silly me, I forgot! I had to, um, help out my parents with the bakery!"

Alya placed her hands on her hips.

"Your parents are _away,_ Marinette. They are on their four-day vacation!"

The reporter stared at her friend become more and more panicked, hands flailing for another excuse.

"Ah, well, I – "

"Save it," Alya interrupted, grabbing Marinette's hand, ignoring the squeak she emitted at the sudden contact. Weirdly enough, it was the same squeak she made when Adrien touched her shoulder.

Pulling Marinette out of the classroom, Alya walked into the washroom, checking if anyone was inside before locking the door. Turning to Marinette, she crossed her arms.

"Now, spill. Why were you avoiding me like the plague the past two weeks?"

Marinette realized she was trapped, and started tapping her foot against the sink.

"Well, technically, it was one week and three days – "

"I don't _care,_ Marinette," Alya sighed, "I just want to know what I did to make you like ... _this._ I've only seen you act this way … around …"

Marinette stared at Alya, blue eyes reflecting the feelings she contained, fear imbedded in layers underneath.

"Adrien." Alya finished with difficulty.

The designer buried her face into her hands and heaved a deep breath.

"Wait, Marinette," the redhead protested, "what does that mean? You act the same way around me like you did around Adrien for what, almost two weeks?"

"One week and three days," Marinette mumbled from behind her hands.

Alya continued like she hadn't spoke, "And now we're in a bathroom and you're blushing to no end and I'm confused as _hell_ – "

"Oh my _gosh,_ " Marinette exploded, and Alya blinked, surprised at the random outburst.

The dark haired girl looked up, and Alya was shocked to see tears in her eyes, face coated a dark shade of pink and it suddenly struck her how _cute_ she looked – wait. No, no, she wasn't supposed to be having these thoughts, not _now._

"You're so dense," the designer muttered.

Alya snorted, "You're one to talk."

They blinked at each other.

"What?" Marinette breathed.

"What?" Alya echoed, back pressed up against the door.

The two girls just gaped at each other.

"What are you talking about?" Marinette asked.

"What are _you_ talking about?" Alya shot back.

"Nothing!" Marinette squeaked, returning to her nervous self.

At that, Alya pushed herself off the door and strode over to where Marinette was, and she kept walking until Marinette was backed against a corner, with no where to go.

"Spit it out, Marinette. You're hiding something from me, and it's _about_ me, so tell me, before I find it out from someone else."

They were almost nose to nose, Alya's hands trapping Marinette between her body and the wall. The designer looked like she was about to pass out, but Alya wasn't going to let her leave.

"I … " Marinette breathed, and her breath fanned the reporter's face.

 _Honey and cookies, nice._

Alya ground her teeth in frustration. _Really, girl?_ She pressed in closer, and Marinette put her hands on Alya's shoulder.

"I feel, towards you, in the same way I felt towards Adrien," Marinette blurted out, and Alya raised her eyebrows at her friend.

"I'm not catching your drift. That would mean you like me. Like, _like like_ me."

Silence.

"I do."

Alya blinked, once. Twice.

"What?"

More silence.

Marinette twisted her hands behind her back, too afraid to make eye contact.

"I do like you."

Alya was staring at her with her mouth slightly open, eyes glazed over, and Marinette had to giggle, even if a little nervously, at her friend's reaction. Then it faded when a sinking feeling began pooling in her stomach.

 _That doesn't seem like a really good reaction to receive …_

A loud thud at the door made both of them jerk away, as if they'd both been slapped.

"What the hell?" came a voice, one they didn't recognize.

After a few more attempts at pushing the door open, the stranger walked away, cursing. It was as if a trance had been broken, because the two girls burst out into laughter, gripping the edge of the sink, hands on their stomachs as tears rolled down their face.

They giggled for a good five minutes, gasping for air as they laughed, and _man,_ did it feel good to laugh together after the week of awkward exchanges. Slowly, they sobered up, still chuckling once in a while, before facing each other, a faint smile still on their faces.

"So …" Alya trailed off, staring at Marinette. "You like me."

Marinette stared at the ground, face red, whether it was from the topic or the laughing, Alya couldn't tell, but it looked lovely all the same.

"You _like like_ me."

The designer nodded, biting her lip.

"So like, you LIKE like me – "

"Alya!" the designer protested, pouting.

The reporter laughed heartily, "Okay, sorry, sorry, but it's a little hard to believe. Why would you, suddenly, and after Adrien …"

Marinette shook her head a little at the model's name.

"That night, when you were comforting me, and said I could date you. I don't know why, but suddenly, I _knew._ I knew I liked you. I don't think my feelings for Adrien were fake, but … I know my feelings for you are _real._ It's awkward, and you probably don't feel the same, and I probably ruined our friendship or something, although I hope we can still be friends but …"

Alya let Marinette ramble, but quickly put up a finger to silence her friend, who was becoming redder and redder as words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Shush, Marinette," Alya whispered, and Marinette complied.

Gently pressing her forehead to the other, the girl with a mess of reddish-brown curls closed her eyes, and smiled.

"I like you too, Marinette. I've liked you for a while now, but you seemed so happy with your feelings for Adrien, I felt it would be wrong to interfere."

Alya could feel Marinette's eyebrows wrinkle in confusion.

"Wait, you … like me too?"

Alya sighed, "That's what I just said, Marinette."

Marinette gripped Alya by the shoulders and pushed her away just a little, eyes wide, mouth open.

"You don't think I'm weird? That it's complete, utterly, _awkward?_ I mean, we've been friends for so long, and …"

Alya broke into a fit of giggles, and Marinette dropped her hands, placing them on her hips.

"What's so funny? I'm trying to ask a serious question!" Marinette stomped her foot childishly on the floor.

The reporter just kept laughing. After a while, Marinette started to snicker, too, and that was how the janitor found them, sitting on the floor, clutching their sides, fingers intertwined to capture the beautiful moment they had just shared.

xxx

Wordslasher inched closer, cocking her head to one side, a smirk dancing on her face. Marinette was used to seeing that expression on Alya, but this one was twisted and evil, to the point Marinette could not believe it was the same face of her girlfriend.

"Ladybug!" Chat yelled, struggling from his position against the wall.

Wordslasher had pinned him against the brick building of a house, knives grasping the thick material of his suit and keeping him three feet off the ground. He watched helplessly as the akuma strode towards his Lady, who kept a straight face, but he could see she was _terrified._

Ladybug hadn't believed someone could get akumatized _twice,_ and was unpleasantly surprised when Alya stood in front of her, clad in another supervillain costume.

The redhead had a black, body fitting one piece, similar to her Lady Wifi costume, but a long, sharp sword resided on the white belt wrapped around her waist. Where the wifi signal was in her previous akumazation, an image of two swords were crossed across her chest. Letters and words circled her feet, snaking their way up her legs, an accessory to her dark outfit.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir screamed again, and Wordslasher whipped around to face him.

"You're getting annoying," she hissed, and sliced her sword through the air. A gush of air made its way to Chat, hitting him across the chest, and he opened his mouth again, but no sound emerged.

He frantically tried to yell and scream, writhing against the knives holding him in place, but it was no use. Alya had cut off his ability to speak.

Wordslasher turned back to Ladybug, who had on her face a calculating look, eyes darting around. She needed to use Lucky Charm, and fast. Where was a safe place to use it? As if reading her thoughts, Wordslasher cackled, and raised her blade.

"You won't be able to use Lucky Charm if you can't call it, can you?"

She brought her blade down, and Ladybug dodged the incoming air being whipped at her. Wordslasher was difficult to fight, because he projectiles were almost invisible, unless you squinted your eyes and concentrated.

Alya swung attack after attack at Ladybug, and she twirled out of the way, one by one, never freeing herself enough to call on her trump card. Wordslasher was just too fast.

"You can run all day, Ladybug, but how long can you keep it up?" she sang wickedly, sauntering towards Ladybug, dodging the endless waves of air.

She leapt, never straying too far from Chat, just in case Wordslasher decided to harm him. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, so the akuma thought she could save him for later. There was no way for him to use Cataclysm, his hands wouldn't be able to reach the wall behind him.

Ladybug landed, and in that split second, she knew she made a mistake. Wordslasher's blade swung down the second her toes touched the ground, when before she had carefully stepped in between the breaks of attack. Alya had waited a second later, until Ladybug made _one more step,_ before bringing the blade towards the ground.

With a _whoosh_ , Ladybug was silenced.

 _No!_ Ladybug screamed to herself. _No, no no! How could I have been so stupid?_

The akuma laughed, but it wasn't the warm sounds Alya made. No, they were vile, dark, and bitter, a distorted sound rising from the throat, and it sent chills down Marinette's spine.

 _This isn't Alya,_ she thought.

"This is the end, Ladybug!" Alya screamed, and a purple moth outline appeared in front of her face.

A silent conversation must have ensued, cause after a split second, a sick smile grew on Alya's face, and she began advancing, yet again, towards Ladybug.

Marinette threw her yo-yo towards Wordslasher's legs, but the akuma deflected it lazily with her sword. The desperate superhero took up a defensive position, tears streaming down her face.

 _All this over a stupid argument,_ Ladybug closed her eyes briefly.

It was their first big fight; Alya had not been taking care of herself, and Marinette had been scolding her.

"You need to take care of yourself!" Marinette had exclaimed.

"I will," Alya argued, "I just need to – "

" _No,_ Alya!" was the response, "You haven't been sleeping _at all_ these past few days, and barely eaten anything, that's completely unacceptable!"

"You don't understand anything, Marinette," the reporter snarled, "You should _know_ how important the Ladyblog is to me, but of course you _don't,_ because you don't care about anything!"

Marinette had taken a step back, hurt by her words. In a moment of anger, the designer blurted out the first words that came into mind, desperately trying, one last time, to make her girlfriend see reason.

"You're being stupid."

Alya gritted her teeth and recoiled, blinking back tears. Marinette didn't understand anything. Alya _thought_ she did, that she knew how important Ladybug was to her. She shook her head. _I was wrong._

With one last glare, she looked away from Marinette and stomped away in the opposite direction. She heard the dark haired girl call after her, but Alya didn't even turn around.

Now she faced Ladybug, the superhero who she admired the most, watching her, fighting her, to get her to stop. Why was everyone telling her to stop doing what she loved? What she wanted to do? Everyone was getting in her way.

A looming voice resonated in her head.

 _Get her miraculous._

Without a second thought, she complied. Alya lunged at Ladybug, and the superhero jumped to her left, splashing in a puddle.

Ladybug took down when he foot landed in the wet liquid. Had it started to rain? She didn't even realize. Now, when she did, she felt the wet clumps of hair on her head, water trickling down into her suit, plastering the material to her skin. It got harder to see, except for the moving shadow of Wordslasher, creeping silently in an eerie sort of way. The rainfall got heavier, and she completely lost sigh of Chat. Could she use Lucky Charm even if she was silenced? Could she risk it? Ladybug could not see where Alya went, only rain, and it dripped into her eyes. Blindly, she threw her yo-yo up into the air and thought, _LUCKY CHARM!_

She didn't know if anything happened, but she felt her yo-yo falling, and it clonked her on her head. Cursing internally, she fumbled around to see what she might have gotten, if anything at all. Breathing heavily, she looked around, scanning for Wordslasher, but a heavy fog began growing, and the akuma was nowhere to be seen.

 _Chat!_ She tried to scream, but of course, nothing came out. She got onto her knees, feeling the floor for anything that Lucky Charm may have brought her and her hand touched a cold, round, object.

Relief flowed through her when she realized Lucky Charm worked, despite her not saying anything. Bringing the object close to her face, she realized they were ladybug-printed goggles. Goggles! She could put them on and see more clearly!

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she quickly put them on. Immediately, she could see _everything._ Glancing around, she found Chat, still pinned to the wall, and she dashed over to him. He had his eyes closed, drenched and shivering, unable to move. Ladybug tugged at the knives keeping him to the wall, but they were firmly stuck, fully intent on trapping Chat there.

 _Chat, oh, Chat, open your eyes,_ Ladybug begged silently, and to her relief, her partner's eyes fluttered and stared up at her.

 _Ladybug?_ He mouthed.

She smiled kindly, but before she could utter a single word, Chat Noir's eyes grew wide and screamed a silent warning. Ladybug spun and saw Wordslasher draw back her blade, preparing to deliver the final blow.

Within that moment, time seemed to slow. Ladybug had two options: dodge, and let herself live, sacrificing Chat, who could not even move to defend himself, or …

The first option would never _ever,_ happen, if she had anything to do about it. But that only left one other option. There was no time to land another blow on Alya, to adjust the direction of her sword, or anything she could possibly say to her girlfriend standing in front of her.

She could, however, save Chat one more time.

The blade thrust through her abdomen, and Ladybug grunted with the impact. She didn't feel the pain right away, only a strange tingling, and a loud ringing in her head. Everything seemed to have gone quiet, nothing felt right, the only thing chaotic was the beating of her heart.

She didn't have to look behind her to hear Chat screaming her name, silently, as Wordslasher's power was still in effect. She didn't have to look back to see Chat struggling once more against the blades, thrashing and _praying_ that that didn't just happen, there was no was his Lady was just stabbed, she needed help, oh _god._

Wordslasher did, however, freeze. She let go of the sword still protruding from her girlfriend's body, the sword she had just stabbed her best friend with. Marinette's hand shakily rose, to touch Alya's face once, before collapsing to the ground.

Ladybug started quivering on the floor, and a bright flash of pink appeared before Marinette stayed lying there, Tikki breathing heavily next to her charge's head.

"Marinette!" the red kwami yelled, patting her cheeks, which was slowly losing color, while the front of her clothes gained more as blood spread from the wound, growing and seeping through her jacket.

"Marinette?" Alya whispered, falling to her knees to kneel next to her girlfriend, the person she loved so, so much.

Chat was on the ground. He hadn't even realized the knives weren't there anymore. He was just staring at the shy girl who sat behind him in class, the one who lay bleeding, _bleeding oh god there was so much blood._ He tried to speak and found that he could, but he was so in shock, not a sound could be uttered. The black spandex covered superhero swallowed, but the lump that had formed in his throat refused to go away.

He took slow steps towards the girl who was his Lady just _seconds_ ago, and fell, holding her other hand, as Alya grasped the right one.

"A-Alya," Marinette croaked hoarsely, and turned to face her partner. "Chat."

The two of them peered at her, tears in their eyes as she said their names. She managed a weak smile.

"I guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?"

A sad chuckle came from Chat's mouth and the baker's daughter smiled at her kitty, glad she could make him laugh.

"Sorry, Alya, for not telling you, and sorry Chat, for probably not being as awesome of a person as you expected under the mask – "

"My Lady, you speak nonsense," Chat cut off, his voice wavering. "I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be Ladybug."

Marinette beamed at him, exhaustion clear in her eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed. Feebly, she squeezed his hand.

He echoed her gesture, holding it to his chest, tears flowing freely now, as if it was his lifeline. As if _he_ was the one dying, and not the brave, strong girl lying in front of him.

"Alya," Marinette murmured, and the redhead leaned in, straining to hear her.

"Yes, Marinette? My best friend, my girlfriend, the love of my life?"

Even Hawkmoth seemed to have gone quiet, allowing them all to mourn, to grieve the quickly fading superhero.

"I …" she whispered, "I love you."

Alya clapped her hand over her mouth to enclose the sob building up from her chest, moisture blending in with the rain that had lightened up, falling softly as if they, too, were crying for Marinette.

"I love you too, Marinette," Alya cried, "I love you so, _so,_ much."

"I'm sorry for dying," Marinette said, but it was getting hard to hear her. The designer's vision had already began to blur, and she blinked a few times, looking up at the two most important people in her life, the ones who made her smile all the time.

"Don't be sorry," they said together, all at once.

Marinette felt her own tears piling in the corner of her eyes, and sniffled, causing a terrible pain around her stomach.

"Tikki …"

The small kwami flew up to her, lips trembling as she placed her tiny hands on either side of her face.

"Thank you, Tikki, for letting me be Ladybug. I'm glad … you found … me …" It was getting difficult to breathe, and the throbbing pain in her middle area was lulling to a soft ache.

"worthy …"

"You're the most welcome," Tikki responded, kissing her nose. "You were the kindest, most beautiful, most _courageous_ Ladybug I knew. You should be proud."

Marinette glanced at all of them, blinking slowly.

"Thank you guys, for … everything."

With one last smile, her eyes fluttered shut, and a single tear rolled down her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Alya mourned. She cried for days, weeks, and sat at her best friend – her girlfriend's – funeral, hands gripped tightly together. The entire class sat to the side, silently looking down; some crying, some trying not to cry, and some staring stiff-faced ahead, providing comfort to the ones around them. Alya watched the priest say their speech, about how Marinette was a brave, strong girl, and will be missed, but she couldn't listen to him.

The reporter had always wanted to discover the identity of Ladybug. It had been her goal for the longest time, to reveal the girl behind the mask … but not like this. Never like this. To think the girl she loved the most was her long admired superhero. She shouldn't be surprised, really. All the clues pointed towards Marinette; the absences during Akumas, the confident look upon her face during confrontation. Everything was right in front of Alya's face, and she couldn't see it. And now she never would. Cause she murdered Ladybug.

 _I did this. Marinette is dead because of me. I've killed her._

Alya fought the urge to scream. She twisted her hands into her pants, shoulders shaking … from what? Grief? Rage? Adrien seemed to be the only one that noticed, and began to stretch a hand towards her, but she flinched away, glaring at the floor. The blond only held his hand there for a few seconds before putting it back down on his lap.

After Marinette's death, the Akuma dissipated, leaving a sobbing Alya clutching the young designer's limp body. Chat Noir's hold on Marinette's hand tightened, ears drooping as he watched the rain slide off her pale face. She looked so at peace, as if she could be sleeping, and for a brief moment, Chat wanted to reach over and shake his Lady's shoulder, telling her to get up to help him protect the city, what was she doing? Her job wasn't done. She was Ladybug. She can't – Chat choked on the feeling in the back of his throat, watching as Alya said Marinette's name over and over again. It continued to pour around them, the both of them kneeling next to the brave, brave girl lying on the ground. It seemed unfair that the world could continue to move, to live, when such an important person from it had stopped living exactly two minutes and thirty-six seconds ago.

As Adrien looked down at his partner, with her ever slightly parted lips, he felt an indescribable feeling of guilt. Of anger, and sadness. It overpowered him, slamming against his body.

 _You could have saved her._ It screamed at him. _She could be alive!_

 _I know._

Buckling under the weight of his shame, he raised Marinette's hand to his cheek, holding it there gently, as if he could restore heat into her hands with pure will power.

 _This is all my fault. Ladybug – no, Marinette, is dead because of me. I've killed her._

Chat kissed her hand and laid it down on the ground softly, and stood up.

"I'll go call an ambulance," he said, but the rain drowned out his voice.

 _An ambulance? She was dead, wasn't she? Whatever would she need an ambulance for?_

He turned away from the two girls, one with her head bowed, pleading to the other, asking her to still be alive. Another wave of guilt crashed into Chat Noir. He got out his baton and vaulted to the next building, in the direction of … where? Oh, right. The hospital. His miraculous beeped, but he didn't care. So what if the whole world knew his identity? Why should it matter anymore? But he stopped outside a narrow alleyway and released his transformation. Plagg flew out, and regarded his charge with sorrowful eyes. Tucking his hands into his pockets, Adrien pulled out a wedge of cheese. Plagg took it and sat on Adrien's shoulder, deciding it was best not to say anything.

Once the kwami was finished, Adrien transformed again, feeling twice as heavy as he did before he de-transformed. Was it because of the rain? He wanted to drag his feet and drench himself in the downpour, but he couldn't do that to Plagg. He'd already done something terrible, he didn't need to add on to it. Chat ducked under tarps and roofs, trying to stay away from the rain as much as he could before reaching the hospital. He balled his hands into fists, vision blurring once more as he remembered her face before she closed her eyes forever.

 _I'm sorry, My Lady. I'm really sorry._

xxx

School was dreary the next few days, the vacant spot behind Adrien seemed to suck him in, as if a black hole had replaced the very seat his dear partner had been sitting at just days before. A large bundle of flowers had been placed on her desk, accompanied by cards, origami, and trinkets expressing her classmate's grief. Alya had sent everyone a text asking them to bring in something small to class, to put on Marinette's desk, not to try and fill the gaping hole where she once sat, but to remember her as one of them.

As the class rang for lunch, a loud explosion could be heard from outside. Screams echoed down the school hallways, and multiple crashes and cursing drove the students from Adrien's class out of the classroom, chaos ensuing as everyone scrambled to flee away from the new disturbance.

From instinct, Adrien automatically grabbed his bag where Plagg hid and sprinted out of the classroom. He found a bathroom and swept his eyes to confirm it was empty before activating his transformation. As he dashed out into the corridor however, a single thought crossed his mind, and he skidded to a stop. Ladybug. She wasn't here anymore. What could he do? No Lucky Charm, no purification methods; he was completely alone. For a moment, the young superhero felt hopelessly lost, but snapped back in an instant when a flying red object smashed through the window beside him and barely missed swiping his nose clean off. He whipped his head towards the direction the projectile had come from and eyed the massively built student smirking, a bright red dodge ball in his hands. His body was covered in a tight fitting outfit, black and grey, streaks of red adorning his mask and along his shoulders and back.

"Care to play?" the giant growled, raising his arm back, muscles clenching as he aimed the dodge ball at the leather clad super hero brandishing his baton.

There was no time to worry about a way to purify the Akuma now. Do the job now, clean up later. The Akuma launched the speeding object towards Chat, and using his baton as a baseball bat, reflected it back towards the broad-shouldered monster, straight into his stomach, sliding him back several inches. Chat's jaw dropped. That was enough force to send anyone flying! Yet, the Akuma had barely moved. Narrowing his cat-like eyes, Chat Noir and the Akuma began to circle, Chat tense and preparing himself for any sudden attacks, his opponent's nasty grin never leaving his face.

Without warning, the beast of a human hurdled towards the superhero, and he held his baton in front of him, ready to defend himself. Before either could make contact, a yo-yo came flying out and hit the Akuma in the face, toppling it to one side, away from Chat, who suddenly found it hard to breathe. He'd know that yo-yo anywhere. He'd seen it so many times before except … there was something different. His eyes followed the yo-yo, zipping back to its' owner, and when the round object connected with a palm, green eyes looked up to see Ladybug. However, it wasn't his lady. No, this Ladybug was different. The previous Ladybug outfit had been red with black spots, but this one was black, with white polka dots scattered in a wild disarray, and behind the mask, instead of the brilliant blue, a light hazel, and instead of the signature pigtails, a mass of flowing reddish brown hair, dancing lightly to the slight breeze drafting in through the open gym doors.

Chat gawked at the new Ladybug, disoriented by the miscoloured outfit, and failed to notice the Akuma rising up from the ground.

"Ladybug?" Chat spluttered, shoulders going limp.

"Well, not exactly," a smooth voice spoke, and Chat raised his eyebrows. "It's Alya, Chat. I'm the new Ladybug." A bitter laugh emerged from her mouth. "Ironic, isn't it? Since I'm the one that –"

"ENOUGH CHIT CHAT," a roaring tone bellowed from the side.

The Akuma once again began its' attack, and Chat Noir, not expecting it, was only able to twist his body just in time to criss-cross his arms as a shield before getting hurled across the room, back smashing into the wall behind him. The superhero let out a muted grunt before sliding down, clutching his shoulder. The New Ladybug – or, Alya, jumped down from the banister she was perched on, and landed in front of Chat.

"You doing okay?" she asked, poised to attack the Akuma facing them, trudging over.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, why're you Ladybug? I mean I don't have anything against you or -"

"You should probably save the questions for later," Alya interrupted, deflecting a dodge ball that came her way.

Chat rose to his feet, tilting his neck and rolling his shoulders, ensuring nothing was broken.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, haunches steadying.

This may not be his Lady, but it was Ladybug, and he knew her outside of their superhero leading lives, so he could learn to bear with it, at least until this Akuma was defeated.

xxx

"Bien joué!" Chat lifted his fist, then lowered it again when he realized his mistake.

Alya stared at him almost coldly, with a twinge of pity and understanding mingled within her features, even though most of it had been obscured by the mask. They looked at each other in silence, speculating the other, until Adrien couldn't stand it anymore.

"S-sorry about that. It was just a thing Ladybug and I used to do after defeating an Akuma, and I thought –"

"I know." Alya nodded once curtly. "I _did_ follow you guys around for a long time."

"Oh …" the blond scratched his head. "I guess you did."

They glanced away, both looking towards the ground, fidgeting with their fingers.

"So … you're Ladybug now." Chat remarked, gesturing towards her outfit.

"Yeah," Alya replied, peering at the superhero costume. "With a few wardrobe changes, it seems."

Chat let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess now it's going to be harder to _spot_ you, since you're not a bright red flash anymore."

The two laughed softly.

"So …" Chat began, and Alya looked up at him. "Your powers …?"

Alya cleared her throat. "Well, Tikki - that's Ladybug's Kwami, she came to me one night and told me that I was to be the next Ladybug." She shuffled, looking uncomfortable. "I didn't want to at first. It felt so _wrong_. But then Tikki convinced me that I should, that I apparently deserved it, since I was Ladybug's number one blogger, and her closest friend."

She laughed softly, and Adrien gazed at this new Ladybug, and stepped forward.

"Marinette -" But he stopped when Alya flinched. He hastily switched the name. "Ladybug, when she was still … you know, she didn't want our identities revealed. She said it was safer that way. I know yours now, however, and I thought it was only fair you knew mine." He paused, awaiting her response.

The redhead scrutinized Chat, making him feel like he was being examined.

"Okay, sure. Why not."

Chat Noir let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Straightening his back, he removed his transformation, revealing a very tidy, very nervous Adrien Agreste. A flit of emotions flew past Alya's face; confusion, surprise, acceptance, and finally, a small grin.

"I knew you looked like Chat Noir. I even showed Mari –" Alya shuddered, "her a picture of you in a black cat outfit, and she still wouldn't believe me."

Adrien shrugged, tension releasing slightly. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now." He mused, smiling a little.

Then his smile faded as he remembered that that was what Marinette had said when her transformation had released upon her injury. Alya's earrings started beeping, and Chat took it as a cue to leave.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around then, Alya. More than we'd expect."

She nodded solemnly. "Who knew Paris' superheroes were sitting so close to me all this time?"

They exchanged their goodbyes, and went their separate ways.

xxx

The next few weeks were still heavy, but with an incessant amount of Akuma attacks and increased photo shoots, Adrien barely had time to think, much less to mourn. Yet he thought about Marinette; Ladybug, everyday before he went to sleep.

"Do you know how much I miss you, My Lady?" He'd murmur into his pillow. "I'm sorry I let you down, Princess."

Nightmares haunted his dreams, images of the sword stabbing her again and again, a never ending torture. Her face as she took her last breath, the small smile that stretched across her face. He often woke up with tear stained cheeks and hand reaching out in the empty air. Bags started to develop under his eyes, and he tried his best to cover it up so his father wouldn't notice.

At school, Nino just looked over at him worriedly, patting his back every once in a while, muttering constant reassurances. Adrien was glad someone like Nino was around; it really helped stabilize him to reality. If it wasn't for Nino, he'd be running forever as Chat Noir until his feet went numb and his brain was beyond exhausted.

He had a photo shoot that morning, resulting in him barely getting any sleep, seeing as the night before there had been an Akuma attack, and Adrien went through the day bleary-eyed and muddled, only half awake. So when Alya approached him at the end of the day and asked to talk, he was just the tad bit unwilling.

"Please, Adrien. It's important." Alya pleaded.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? After I get 12 hours of sleep?"

She held on to his arm, gripping it tight. "It's about Marinette."

With that sentence, Adrien was instantly awake. He followed Alya out with a slight wave to a very confused Nino, who just watched them walk off, tilting his head.

Out in the fields, Alya dragged Adrien to a bench and made him sit before seating herself next to him. She trained her steely gaze on him, and he couldn't help but shift back in discomfort.

"Alright, Alya. What's the important thing you have to say about Marinette?" Adrien asked, curious, but cutting straight to the point so he can finally head home and catch up on some shut eye.

Alya took a deep breath.

"I think I know how to bring Marinette back."

Adrien jolted, hitting his elbow against the arm park bench. Seething in pain, he stared at Alya.

"What do you mean _bring Marinette back_? You mean like from the dead?"

The reporter leaned forward, hand clutching the back of the bench.

"Well, I mean, it's not for sure … but I really think it could work!"

The blond looked at her to make sure she wasn't joking, but Alya's eyes earnestly searched his for approval to continue.

He breathed out. He knew what was dead, should stay dead, even if it's a dear, dear friend. Adrien clasped his hands together and nodded once, gesturing for her to continue. Alya brushed her hair away and fixated her hazel eyes to stare at Adrien's kind, green ones.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I've never been familiar with … well, the Miraculous that we have. Mostly because I've never been in possession of one but now that I have it, and Tikki's explained it to me, I think I finally realize the power of it."

Adrien's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"We both have a miraculous, but do you know who else has one?" Alya continued.

"Hawk -"

"Hawkmoth." Alya finished, leaving Adrien's sentence unfinished.

He squinted at Alya. She's changed a bit recently since the passing of Marinette. Her personality had become … almost eccentric. At first, it had just been mourning, and silence, but then one day she just arrived in class back to her normal self. Except, she had seemed a bit … off. Adrien couldn't quite put a finger on it, but afterwards he had assumed it was her adjusting to being Ladybug.

"Okay," the model encouraged, patiently hearing out her thoughts.

"Well … if our Miraculous is this strong already … how strong do you think we'll be if we had Hawkmoth's miraculous as well?"

Adrien gaped at her.

Alya rushed on, "I know it sounds crazy, but there's a reason he's trying to get our Miraculous right? He needs power. And we don't know what kind of power we will have if we have his too. Plus, he's using his power for evil, so if we take it from him, it will kill two birds with one stone! Evil will be gone, and with that power, we can have Marinette back! It was an Akuma's power that killed her, I'm sure if we had the source of it -"

"Alya -"

"I'm sure it would work! If we unite all three miraculous, wouldn't that be enough power for anything? I mean they're called _Miraculous_ for a reason. They must perform miracles!"

"Alya."

"Hm?"

"Look, I don't know how to tell you this, but Ladybug and I have been trying to locate Hawkmoth for a _really_ long time. It's not going to be easy -"

"Of course it's not going to be easy! We're just going to have to find a different way to -"

"That's not what I meant -"

"We just got to -"

"ALYA!"

The redhead jumped at Adrien's sudden outburst.

"Listen to me. Hawkmoth's current whereabouts are currently unknown _and_ ," he held up a hand, stopping Alya from interrupting again, "we don't know if this would work. We don't know what the Miraculous would do, or even _if_ it even does something. Something could go wrong, because we don't know who Hawkmoth is, or what kind of power he has outside of just making Akumas. He could be crazy powerful and we'd have no way to stop him. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

Alya frowned. "We could still get rid of the evil. There's a chance something good will come out of it. Let's find Hawkmoth and defeat him once and for all. It will do everyone good. We're superheroes, right? It's our job."

She peered at him, drilling holes into his head.

"Right?"

He watched her pleading eyes, doing everything she can to bring back the one she loves.

"Right."

She smiled at him with relief and gratitude. "Thanks, Adrien. I knew you'd understand."

Standing up, she brushed the stray leaves off her jeans and waved at the blond, now sitting on the bench alone.

"I'll see you later, Adrien!" she called back.

Adrien lifted his hand to return the gesture, and watched Alya walk away with a sinking feeling in his stomach.


End file.
